Juventus turn to Wilshere in case Liverpool deal falls through

Juventus are believed to be considering a move for Jack Wilshere if Emre Can decides his future lies somewhere other than Turin.

According to Tuttosport, Juventus are keen to reinforce their midfield this summer and it seems they would prefer to do that for free.

Can is out of contract with Liverpool this summer, not that he has endured wall-to-wall coverage about his expiring contract like we had to endure with Arsenal players.

Speaking to the media, Juve chief executive, Giuseppe Marotta, admitted they face competition for the German’s signature. “Emre Can is a player everyone wants for his qualities and being a free agent on 30th June,” he said.

HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: Emre Can of Liverpool (R) celebrates as he scores their first goal with Jordan Henderson during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Liverpool at John Smith’s Stadium on January 30, 2018 in Huddersfield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“We’ve had our say, there are other contenders and we await a response, but don’t think it’ll be over the next few days.”

As a backup, Juventus are looking at another freebie in Jack Wilshere who seems like he will also be switching clubs this summer.

Arsenal have handed him what they see as a ‘take it or leave it’ contract offer that would require Jack take a 20% paycut to his basic salary and it seems as if Wilshere is happy to leave it, thanks very much.

If Jack is hoping that a club like Juventus will improve on the £110k-a-week he is getting currently (Arsenal want him to drop to around £90k) then he’s in for a big surprise.

The highest earner at Juve is Gonzalo Higuain who earns approximately £119k-per-week.

After that they have Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic on around £93k-per-week.

To find a club willing to match what he earns currently, or even to improve on that, Jack will have to remain in the Premier League and drop down to a proper midtable club.

Mystic Weg

In September, 2017, Arsene Wenger predicted that football would see the death of mega transfer fees as players auction themselves as free agents instead of being sold.

Predicting that his side could go unbeaten in the Premier League, that we would soon see the first £200m player and hundreds of other things in between, Mystic Weg’s September prophecy would see the football world move closer to the real job market, in action if not necessarily salary level.

Speaking at his press conference ahead of the Community Shield game against Chelsea, Wenger first brought up the idea: ­“Because the transfers are so high, you will see more and more players going into the final year of the contract because no club will want to pay the amount ­demanded. I’m convinced, in the next 10 years, it will become usual.”

Although Wenger has been in England for decades, the level of insight that he has in the game is still not really appreciated.

In fact, in a Mirror article on this subject, Brian Reade asked, “So, have his ­marbles gone or is a man we used to hail as a ­visionary simply foretelling the inevitable ­conclusion of Bosman?”

The reasonable answer to that would be ‘neither you useless redtop f**kwit’. I hate people who present you with two options like this, both skewed to serve their obvious and pathetic agenda.

What Wenger is saying makes sense

Why should a club receive a transfer fee for a player? When you move job, it’s likely that the new company doesn’t have to pay a penny to the old. There will be a period of notice that you have to work, for which you will still be paid, and then you move.

Why shouldn’t footballers pocket the money that would otherwise go to clubs?

What it is also likely to mean is that smaller clubs will struggle without being able to generate big fees for players they have developed while fans will have to pay out more to make up any shortfall as people who kick a ball for a living collect ever-increasing salaries.

Wenger has doubled down on those pre-season comments, adding, “This season, there were 107 players in the Premier League who got into the final year (not all at Arsenal despite what the press would have you believe) of their contract and you will see that more. The clubs want too much money for normal players.

“They say that if one player is worth £200m [like Neymar], then this player is worth £50m. But everybody knows for that player £50m is too much and they cannot afford it. So what happens? The club cannot sell and doesn’t extend the contract, so more and more players are going into the final year of their contract.

“Something will happen,” he continued. “For the first time, on the political front, the German prime minister has come out and, also, the president of Uefa has come out. I think, politically, something will happen in the next 12 months to regulate and limit the transfer amounts.

“You have to go one of two ways – regulate it properly or leave it completely open. You cannot be in between and that is where we are at the moment. It is only to the advantage of some clubs who can deal with the [financial fair play] rules in a legal way.

“The regulation has to be stricter and clearer, or open the market completely and you can do what you want provided you can guarantee you have the money to pay.

“At the moment, we are a bit in between and that does not work.”

‘Arsene knows’ may not carry the same weight today as it did during his first decade at the club, but when it comes to reading how the game is developing off the pitch, few would be advised to argue with him.

Where football goes after that, he hasn’t yet revealed, but you can be sure of one thing – wherever it is, it will be more expensive for us, the fans, when we get there.